Vegetation cutting apparatus



May 18, 1965 E. A. FERRls VEGETATION CUTTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed April 25, 1963 Ea/vwl@ 4. Fam/s United States Patent O 3,183,656VEGETATIGN CUTllNG APPARATUS Edmund A. Ferris, Chippewa Falls, Wis.,assigner to Eros Incorporated, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation ofMinnesota Filed Apr. 25, 1963, Ser. No. 275,659 4 Claims. (Cl. 56-25)This invention relates generally to the cutting of vegetation and ismore particularly concerned with the cutting of lvegetation through theuse of a method and apparatus which utilizes electrical energy as ameans for cutting or severing vegetation.

In the prior art with which my invention is concerned, a common methodof cutting vegetation, such as grass, crops, or the like, has been toutilize a mechanical shearing process which requires the use of someform of cutting edge. An example of such apparatus is the rotary lawnmower, which has come into use in the last decade or so, in which aknife-like cutting edge is rotated to provide a high velocity withrespect to the vegetation to be cut and the resultant shearing yactioneffects .a severing of the vegetation at the point of contact. Asidefrom being inherently dangerous due to the engagement and propulsion ofparticles of matter `at relatively high velocities, the efciency of suchapparatus is rapidly decreased with wear occasioned by engagement of thecutting edge with the vegetation and other objects.

Another form of prior art apparatus which has also been in common use isthe sickle bar in which a shearing action is provided by thereciprocation of a plurality of cutting teeth across a plurality ofstationary teeth and Opf eration similar to that ,performed by thehousehold scissors is obtained and vegetation is severed when engagedbetween the knife and stationary blade and the resultant reciprocatingmotion shears the vegetation at the point of engagement between thestationary and movable blades.

In -my invention a method and apparatus is provided which eliminates thenecessity for any moving parts or surfaces for performing the actualcutting or severing operation on vegetation which is growing or is incontact with the ground.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide an improved methodfor cutting vegetation.

Another object of my invention is to provide novel apparatus for cuttingor severing vegetation.

Briefly my invention comprises a source of electrical energy which isconnected intermediate the ground, or earth, which is in contact withvegetation to be cut and a conductor which may be moved into contactwith the vegetation according to the wishes of an operator to therebysever or cut the vegetation at the point of contact or engagementtherewith.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will be disclosed inthe course of the following specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- FIG. 1 is a side elevational view'ofone embodiment of my invention mounted on a vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FlG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. l and 2.

FIG. 4 is an electrical schematic diagram illustrating a typical sourceof electrical energy connected to the apparatus shown in FlGS. l, 2 and3.

Referring now to the drawing in which like elements have been identifiedby like reference characters, my invention is shown embodied in atransversely extending vegetation cutting assembly which is adjustablysuspended ifrom the body of a suitable movable vehicle shown in the ldhPatented )l/lay 18, 1965 ICC form of a farm tractor. A transverselyextended and elongated housing member 24, having a pair of end platemembers 25 and 36, is securely attached, as by welding, to a pair ofrearwardly and upwardly extending support members 13 and 23 which areattached at their rearward end to pivot pins 12 positioned on both sidesof the frame of tractor 10. A generally U-shaped frame member 11 havinga pair of generally vertically extending mounting members 14 is alsorotatably journaled on pivot members 12 and in the position shown in thedrawings rests with its forward portion on the top of a stop member 18which extends forwardly of the frame of tractor 10 and is suitablyattached thereto. A pair of hydraulic cylinders 17 are positionedintermediate the top ends of pivot pins 15 on members 14 and suitablypositioned pivot pins 16 on support members y1?; and Z3. Hydrauliccylinders 17 are suitably connected in parallel through conduit 57 to acontrol valve 55 having an operating vhandle S6 and which is connectedto a source of hydraulic fluid under pressure (not shown) for adjustablypositioning the transverse cutting assembly with respect to the earthover which tractor 1d is operated.

The end plate members 2.5 and 3d on housing 24 are generally similar andare spaced apart a desired distance to determine the width of vegetationto be cut at one time. End member 25 includes an earth engaging wheel Z8suitably journaled in mounting means Z9, an outwardly extending portion26 to Iwhich is connected a flexible conductive earth engaging member27, and an insulated terminal 3d. End plate member 36 includes an earthengaging wheel 39 suitably journaled on mounting means dit, an outwardlyextending member 37 to which is attached a iiexible conductive earthengaging member 3S, a terminal 3.3, and an insulated terminal 35. Anoninsulated vegetation engaging conductor 32 is mounted intermediateinsulated terminals Sil and 33 on end plate members 25 and 3orespectively.

A power supply means 42, including an on-oif switch 49, is shownconnected to terminals 3i) and 35 through suitable cable 41 whichcontains a pair of conductors 31 and 34 connected to terminals 30 and 35respectively.

It may thus be seen that a movable non-insulated conductor member 32 andearth engaging members 27 and 38 are connected to a source of electricalenergy 4Z. Energization of the source of electrical energy provides ameans for establishing a potential difference between the earth, andtherefore vegetation to be cut, and conductor 32 whereby when engagementof vegetation by conductor 32 occurs, a cutting, or severing, of thevegetation is readily obtained.

In FG. 4 there is shown an electrical schematic diagram of a powersupply 42 as might be utilized in carrying out the principles of myinvention. Power supply 4Z includes a multivibrator 4d, which may be,for instance, a conventional electro-mechanical vibrator as utilized inmobile communications equipment, and contains a pair of input terminalsS1 and a pair of output terminals S2. Input terminals 51 are connectedto a suitable source of electrical energy, for example, battery 48,through conductors 47 and Sil and switch means 49. Output terminals 52on multi-vibrator 48 are connected to primary winding i5 on transformer43. Transformer 43 has a secondary winding 44 connected to a pair ofoutput terminals 53 and S4 which are in turn connected to conductors 31and 34, respectively, in cable 41. As described above, conductor 31 isconnected to conductor 32 through insulated terminal 3d and conductor 34is connected to mounting means 24 and serves as a ground throughflexible conductors 27 and 23 to establish a potential dilerence betweenconductor 32 and the vegetation to be cut. As illustrated in FIG. 4,vegetation 70 which may be, for example, grass on a golf course, isengaged by forward movement of consnaaeeo understood, it'has beendetermined that satisfactory opera- Y tion in severing crops such asgrass, hay, and the like, may

be obtained where the potential applied to conductors i 31 and 34 is inthe range of 2500 to 15,090 volts. ri`he power requirement may vary withthe application to which my invention is applied and it is believed thatonce an understanding of my invention is clear to one skilled in theart, a determination of the various operating parameters of voltage andcurrent may easily be made through the expedient of simple experiments.In one apparatus as shown in FIG. 4, a six volt direct current source ofpower, such as a storage battery 48, was utilized to energizetransformer 43 which was constructed to provide an output of 2500 volts.

It may be apparent tor those skilled in the art that other 'i forms ofpower supply may be utilized.

pulses having high energy content and which were of a unidirectional,direct current characteristic, as distin-` guished from the alternatingcurrent embodiment of FIG. 4, provided satisfactory operation of cuttingof vegetation. In such an application a pulse direct current highpotential power supplyof 15,000 volts at a current of ,75

ampere provided satisfactory cutting of the grass comcombination: asource of electrical energy exhibiting ln one o erav tive embodiment, apower supply capable of providing l 4 vegetation severing potential andcurrent characteristics; a conductor; means supporting said conductorfor movable engagement with vegetation to becut; and circuit meansconnecting 4said source of electrical energy intermediate saidconductorL and the ground in which vegetation tobe cut is growingwhereby the electrically energized conductor cuts the vegetation andthereafter the rooted portion of the cut vegetation isV capable ofcontinued growth. f

2. The apparatus of claim l in which the source of electrical energy isof relatively high potential.

3. ln combination with a movable'vehicle; a transversely extendingmounting means including a pair of spaced end plate members, saidmounting means exhibitingy current conductive characteristics andV beingmounted in vegetation engagingposition on a vehicle; a conductor mountedbetween and insulated from said end plate members; means mounted on saidmounting means for continuously conductively engaging the earth; andVpower supply means connected intermediate said conductor and saidmounting means.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which the power supply means provides arelatively high potential output.

References Cited by the ,Examiner UNlTED STATES PATENTS 593,235 11/97McBride 47--1.3 728,312 5/03 Smith 47-1.3 2,333,224 ll/43 Agnew 47-1.3 X2,375,458 5/45 Agnew et al. 47-l.3 X 2,682,729l 7/54 Poynor L7-1.32,916,866 12/59 Brinkman 56-25 T. GRAHAM CRAVER, Primary Examiner.

RUSSELL R. KINSEY, Examiner.

1. APPARATUS FOR CUTTING VEGETATION, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION; A SOURCEOF ELECTRICAL ENERGY EXHIBITING VEGETATION SEVERING POTENTIAL ANDCURRENT CHARACTERISTICS: A CONDUCTOR: MEANS SUPPORTING SAID CONDUCTORFOR MOVABLE ENGAGEMENT WITH VEGETATION TO BE CUT; AND CIRCUIT MEANSCONNECTING SAID SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY INTERMEDIATE SAID CONDUCTORAND THE GROUND IN WHICH VEGETATION TO BE CUT IS GROWING WHEREBY THEELECTRICALLY ENERGIZED CONDUCTOR CUTS THE VEGETATION AND THEREAFTER THEROOTED PORION OF THE CUT VEGETATION IS CAPABLE OF CONTINUED GROWTH.